Spec Ops: The Line wants players to deal with the harsh moral decisions of war

ON its surface, Spec Ops: The Line looks like a standard military tough guy shoot-em-up. But its developers say that at its core, the game is all about making tough decisions.

The action takes place in a Dubai of the near future, months after a natural disaster has caused a mass evacuation.

The player steps into the shoes of US army soldier Martin Walker sent to track down a Colonel John Konrad, the commander of a battalion which stayed behind to help with the emergency.

The game is heavily influenced by literature and films like Heart of Darkness - the novel written by Joseph Conrad - and Apocalypse Now - the Vietnam war movie it inspired, says senior designer Shawn Frison.

“We looked at other games, military shooters especially, and (they) never looked at the darker side, the human impact of what goes on in war,” Frison says.

“In video games, you can really bring home a message by having people go through the journey themselves, rather than them just watching it.”

The consequences of a split-second decision to shoot – and accidentally kill a civilian is more powerful in a video game, he says.

“Feeling remorse because of something like that, I don’t think you can convey in the same way in another medium.

“It’s very different if you’re actually the person on the trigger, and you really feel that moment of panic.

“You realise, wow, collateral damage isn’t just something on TV, it’s a real mistake I would make if I was in that situation myself.”